The Astronaut Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Cente

/The Astronaut Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center.


The three greatest disasters to hit NASA’s space exploration program all happened over the course of six days between January 27 and February 1, on three different years.

On January 27, 1967, a launch pad fire took the lives of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The three astronauts were in the spacecraft during a test firing of the rockets on the launch pad when a flash fire enveloped the command module. Despite the tragedy, the Apollo program went on to put the first man on the moon on July 20, 1969.

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger broke up 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven astronauts on board: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, and Judith Resnik. Due to low temperatures in Florida the morning of the accident, the O-ring seals in the solid rocket boosters became frozen and lost their flexibility. High temperature gas was able to escape the seals, resulting in the destruction of the vehicle.

The next spaceflight tragedy occurred on February 1, 2003, when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry. Seven crew members, Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, and Laurel Clark, lost their lives when the shuttle’s thermal protection system failed over Texas twenty minutes before its scheduled landing in Florida.

Men Walk On Moon

Two Americans, astronauts of Apollo 11, steered their fragile four-legged lunar module safely and smoothly to the historic landing yesterday at 4:17:40 P.M., Eastern daylight time.

Neil A. Armstrong, the 38-year-old civilian commander, radioed to earth and the mission control room here:

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

The first men to reach the moon--Mr. Armstrong and his co-pilot, Col. Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. of the Air Force--brought their ship to rest on a level, rock-strewn plain near the southwestern shore of the arid Sea of Tranquility.

About six and a half hours later, Mr. Armstrong opened the landing craft's hatch, stepped slowly down the ladder and declared as he planted the first human footprint on the lunar crust:

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

His first step on the moon came at 10:56:20 P.M., as a television camera outside the craft transmitted his every move to an awed and excited audience of hundreds of millions of people on earth.

Tentative Steps Test Soil

Mr. Armstrong's initial steps were tentative tests of the lunar soil's firmness and of his ability to move about easily in his bulky white spacesuit and backpacks and under the influence of lunar gravity, which is one-sixth that of the earth.

"The surface is fine and powdery," the astronaut reported. "I can pick it up loosely with my toe. It does adhere in fine layers like powdered charcoal to the sole and sides of my boots. I only go in a small fraction of an inch, maybe an eighth of an inch. But I can see the footprints of my boots in the treads in the fine sandy particles.

After 19 minutes of Mr. Armstrong's testing, Colonel Aldrin joined him outside the craft.

The two men got busy setting up another television camera out from the lunar module, planting an American flag into the ground, scooping up soil and rock samples, deploying scientific experiments and hopping and loping about in a demonstration of their lunar agility.

They found walking and working on the moon less taxing than had been forecast. Mr. Armstrong once reported he was "very comfortable."

And people back on earth found the black-and-white television pictures of the bug- shaped lunar module and the men tramping about it so sharp and clear as to seem unreal, more like a toy and toy-like figures than human beings on the most daring and far- reaching expedition thus far undertaken.

Nixon Telephones Congratulations

During one break in the astronauts' work, President Nixon congratulated them from the White House in what, he said, "certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made."

"Because of what you have done," the President told the astronauts, "the heavens have become a part of man's world. And as you talk to us from the Sea of Tranquility it required us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to earth.

"For one priceless moment in the whole history of man all the people on this earth are truly one--one in their pride in what you have done and one in our prayers that you will return safely to earth."

Mr. Armstrong replied:

"Thank you Mr. President. It's a great honor and privilege for us to be here representing not only the United States but men of peace of all nations, men with interests and a curiosity and men with a vision for the future."

All the American Flags On the Moon Are Now White

All the American Flags On the Moon Are Now White

According to lunar scientist Paul Spudis:

For forty-odd years, the flags have been exposed to the full fury of the Moon's environment – alternating 14 days of searing sunlight and 100° C heat with 14 days of numbing-cold -150° C darkness. But even more damaging is the intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the pure unfiltered sunlight on the cloth (modal) from which the Apollo flags were made. Even on Earth, the colors of a cloth flag flown in bright sunlight for many years will eventually fade and need to be replaced. So it is likely that these symbols of American achievement have been rendered blank, bleached white by the UV radiation of unfiltered sunlight on the lunar surface. Some of them may even have begun to physically disintegrate under the intense flux.

Dances of the Planets

Dances of the Planets

Take the orbits of any two planets and draw a line between the two planet positions every few days. Because the inner planet orbits faster than the outer planet, interesting patterns evolve. Each planetary pairing has its own unique dance rhythm. For example, the Earth-Venus dance returns to the original starting position after eight Earth years. Eight Earth years equals thirteen Venus years.

Note that 8 and 13 are members of the Fibonacci number series.

Earth: 8 years * 365.256 days/year = 2,922.05 days

Venus: 13 years * 224.701 days/year = 2,921.11 days
(ie. 99.9%)

Watching the Earth-Venus dance for eight years creates this beautiful five-petal flower with the Sun at the center.

most powerful photographs

Pearl Harbor survivor Houston James of Dallas is overcome with emotion as he embraces Marine Staff Sgt. Mark Graunke Jr. during the Dallas Veterans Day Commemoration at Dallas City Hall in 2005. Sgt Graunke, who was a member of a Marine ordnance-disposal team, lost a hand, leg, and eye while defusing a bomb in Iraq in July of 2004.

Sharbat Gula (born ca. 1972) is an Afghan woman who was the subject of a famous photograph by journalist Steve McCurry. Gula was living as a refugee in Pakistan during the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan when she was photographe

british novelist Jane Austen will become the face of the new 10 pound note

British novelist Jane Austen will become the face of the new 10 pound note, who is the Egyptian icon you think should be on Egypt’s banknotes?

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in England. Her novels, including Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, are considered literary classics, bridging the gap between romance and realism.

British novelist Jane Austen will become the face of the new 10 pound note, who is the Egyptian icon you think should be on Egypt’s banknotes?

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in England. Her novels, including Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, are considered literary classics, bridging the gap between romance and realism.

The Rothko Chapel (1964-71)

The Rothko Chapel (1964-71)

"The Rothko Chapel is a non-denominational chapel in Houston, Texas. The interior serves not only as a chapel, but also as a major work of modern art.

On its walls are fourteen black but color-hued paintings by Mark Rothko. 

‘The Rothko Chapel…became the world’s first broadly ecumenical center, a holy place open to all religions and belonging to none. It became a center for international cultural, religious, and philosophical exchanges, for colloquia and performances. And it became a place of private prayer for individuals of all faiths.’

In 1964 Rothko was commissioned to create a meditative space filled with his paintings. The works are site-specific, one of the requirements of the program.

As Rothko was given creative license on the design of the structure, he clashed with the project’s original architect over the plans for the chapel. The plans went through several revisions and architects.

Ultimately he did not live to see the chapel’s completion in 1971.

After a long struggle with depression, Rothko committed suicide in his New York studio on February 25, 1970."